grow up

British  

verb

1. to reach maturity; become adult

2. to come into existence; develop

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grow up Idioms  

1. Become an adult, as in Sam wants to be a policeman when he grows up . [First half of 1500s]

2. Come into existence, arise, as in Similar social problems grew up in all the big cities . [Late 1500s]

3. Become mature or sensible, as in It's time you grew up and faced the facts . This usage may also be in the form of an imperative (as in Don't bite your nails—grow up! ) [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Vera is originally from Uruguay and grew up in Chile, Germany, Mexico and Miami.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It's been a long journey because during the last three years I worked a lot. Mentally I grew up really, really a lot," he said.

From Barron's

DaCosta tells me she was a "huge fan of horror films growing up" and recalls repeatedly watching 28 Days Later on DVD as a teenager.

From BBC

That is the promise he made to his mother Maria Diva when he was growing up in Cidade Ocidental, a small town in central Brazil.

From BBC

Young Dado grew up in a house with no electricity and walked barefoot to school, where he used bamboo sticks to learn arithmetic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• advance
• establish
• evolve
• expand
• flourish
• grow
• progress
• promote